North Country Honors Legacy Of Martin Luther King Jr.

Tools

It has been nearly 50 years since Martin Luther King Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and delivered his historic 'I Have a Dream ' speech for racial equality.

Even though SUNY Potsdam students, like Kerrian Ferguson, weren't even born when the civil rights leader called on America to end discrimination, she says she observes Martin Luther King Day as a time to reflect on the power of opportunity and volunteerism.

""He fought so hard for all of us to have freedom," she said.

Thierry Ouedraogo says he continues to be inspired by Martin Luther King and feels that strides are being made towards greater diversity on college campuses.

"He fought for a voice for a lot of people in this nation, not just blacks, but other people of color," he said.

SUNY Potsdam students plan to honor Martin Luther King's memory with a community day of service on Saturday - volunteering at the Salvation Army and Potsdam Animal Shelter among other locations.

Meanwhile, certified nonviolence trainer and international educator Arthur Romano was on the Clarkson University campus to speak about King's teachings and the social changes that followed.

He says if King were alive today, he would probably be satisfied to see a person of color as president, but would be bothered by other things.

"I think he'd be troubled to see how persistent economic segregation has been and how much our schools have failed our community members that are most vulnerable," said Romano of George Mason University.

Had Martin Luther King Jr. lived, he would have turned 84 on January 15.